Please see information below from Waka Kotahi NZTA regarding road closures on Mt Messenger.

One-hour closures 16-18 May

A daily schedule of five one-hour closures will run between 8am and 5.30pm from Monday 16 May to Wednesday 18 May inclusive. These closures will allow for Bypass project enabling activities. We will ensure portaloos and defibrillators are available as required for waiting motorists.

Please see the table below for road closure timings.

All-day closure 19 May
On Thursday 19 May the road over Mt Messenger will be closed from 9am to 5pm to recover the truck that rolled down the bank. This is an emergency closure and there will be no ability for vehicles to cross over Mt. Messenger during this time.

• This closure will permit the recovery of the truck using a crane. While the crane is operating both lanes will be blocked with equipment.
• During this closure, some Bypass enabling works will also be completed. A full day of this activity will reduce future traffic disruption caused by the Bypass project.
• If the truck recovery cannot be undertaken on 19 May, it will be rescheduled for Tuesday 24 May.

Stop/Go controls from 20 May to mid-June.
From Friday 20 May, stop/go controls will operate to allow for Bypass enabling works. We expect these controls to run until mid-June on all fine weather days including weekends, with the exception of the Queen’s Birthday public holiday (4, 5 and 6 June). We aim to limit delays caused by these stop/go controls to no more than 15 minutes.

All the above activities are weather dependent and may be postponed at short notice. We will do our best to keep all stakeholders and the wider community informed.

Mt Messenger rest area
The rest area at the summit of Mt Messenger will be closed from 16 May for approximately two weeks.

We regret that these measures will cause inconvenience but please be assured they are necessary to ensure the safety of our crews and motorists while the truck recovery takes place and while we make early progress on a significant project. 

Road closure timings for 16, 17 and 18 May